Financial Information
Tuition, Fees and Living Expenses
A catalog supplement, the Financial Information Bulletin , is issued each academic year. It provides the general authority and reference for SMU financial regulations and obligations, as well as detailed information concerning tuition, fees and living expenses.
Continuing students registering must ensure that payment for the full amount of charges is posted to their account by the payment due date showing on their bill. The due dates are also published on the Bursar website.
Billing notifications are sent to the student’s SMU email address and to the designated authorized payer(s) email address when a bill is generated. The billing notification will provide instructions on how to view the bill online through SMUpay. If notification is not received two weeks prior to the due date, the student and/or designated authorized payer(s) should contact the Office of the University Bursar.
Payments made in person or mailed must be received by the Office of the University Bursar, located on the first floor of the Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building, no later than 4 p.m. on the payment due date. Payments made online via electronic check or credit card must be posted no later than 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time on the payment due date. Students and/or those paying on behalf of students who pay online automatically receive an electronic confirmation of payment; students and/or designated authorized payer(s) paying through other methods can also verify receipt of payment online.
Students enrolling after the payment due date must pay at the time of enrollment. Students whose accounts are not cleared by the payment due date or at the time of enrollment are subject to a late payment fee of $50 for balances between $250 and $999.99, and $150 for balances between $1,000 and $5,000. Balances more than $5,000 are charged 3 percent of the outstanding balance, not to exceed $750. Also, after the monthly payment due date has passed, a 1.5 percent past due fee will be assessed on the unpaid student and/or miscellaneous account each month until the balance is paid. The enrollment of students whose accounts remain unpaid after the payment due date may be canceled at the discretion of the University. Students are individually responsible for their financial obligations to the University.
All refunds except federal parent PLUS loans, prepayment accounts, the SMU Monthly TuitionPay Payment Plan and international wires will be made payable to the student. A credit card payment will only be refunded to the student if federal student loans have been applied to their account. International wires will be refunded by wire to the originating wire account less a $35 wire-processing fee. The PLUS loan borrower can request the refund to be processed to the student by submitting a Parent PLUS Release form, located on the Bursar website. If the refund is issued by check, the student may request, in writing, that the refund be sent to another party.
Any outstanding debts to the University will be deducted from the credit balance prior to issuing a refund. Any outstanding debts to the University that include Title IV funds must have an Authorization to Credit Account form and/or an Authorization to Credit Account Parent form on file in order to transfer funds to cover current award year debts. Students need to sign the ACA form and the federal parent PLUS loan borrower needs to sign the ACAP form.
Any outstanding debts to the University that do not include Title IV funds will be deducted from the credit balance prior to issuing a refund. All other debts should be paid directly by the student.
A student whose University account is overdue or who in any other manner has an unpaid financial obligation to the University will be denied the recording and certification services of the Office of the Registrar, including the issuance of a transcript or diploma, and may be denied readmission until all obligations are fulfilled. The Division of Enrollment Services may stop the registration, or may cancel the completed registration, of a student who has a delinquent account or debt, and may assess all attorney’s fees and other reasonable collection costs (up to 50 percent) and charges necessary for the collection of any amount not paid when due. Matriculation in the University constitutes an agreement by the student to comply with all University rules, regulations and policies.
Arrangements for financial assistance from SMU must be made in advance of registration and in accordance with the application schedule of the Division of Enrollment Services, Financial Aid. A student should not expect such assistance to settle delinquent accounts.
During the registration process, students will be prompted to read and agree to the Student Rights and Responsibilities, which provides information regarding financial rights and obligations, SMU’s Honor Code, the Code of Conduct, and the student appeals and complaints process.
Refunds for Withdrawal From the University
Note: No refunds are made without an official withdrawal. Policies for official withdrawal, including medical and mandatory administrative withdrawal, are found under Withdrawal From the University in the Academic Records and General and Enrollment Standards section of this catalog.
Reduction of tuition and fees is determined by the effective date of the withdrawal and is based on the schedule listed in the Financial Information Bulletin .
Note: For students receiving financial aid (scholarships, grants or loans), when the withdrawal date qualifies for reduction of tuition and fees charges, the refund typically will be used to repay the student aid programs first and go to the student/family last. Further, government regulations may require that SMU return aid funds whether or not the University must reduce its tuition and fees (based on the Financial Information Bulletin); hence, a student whose account was paid in full prior to withdrawal may owe a significant amount at withdrawal due to the required return of student aid. Therefore, students who receive any financial aid should discuss, prior to withdrawal, the financial implications of the withdrawal with the Financial Aid Advising Office.
Medical withdrawals and mandatory administrative withdrawals allow a prorated refund of tuition and fees.
Payment Plan Options
SMU Monthly Payment Plan
The SMU TuitionPay Payment Plan administered by Higher One allows term charges to be paid in monthly installments. Students can enroll in a payment plan at www.tuitionpaymentplan.com/smu. Higher One consultants are available at 877-279-6092 to answer questions or help with the online enrollment process.
Annual payment plans are available in 12-month, 10-month and eight-month formats. Term payment plans are available in four-month, five-month and six-month formats. The summer payment plan is three months. Payment plan options are not available for intersession terms including JanTerm, MayTerm and August terms.
SMU Prepayment Plan
The SMU Prepayment Plan (a single payment up front for all terms) allows families to avoid the effects of tuition and fee increases by paying for two, three or four years in one single payment at the current rate of tuition and fees. Questions should be addressed to the Division of Enrollment Services, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750181, Dallas TX 75275-0181; phone 214-768-2799.
Student Financial Aid
Scholarships, Grants and Other Aid
For many SMU students, scholarships and other aid make the cost of attending this distinguished private university no more taxing - and often less so - on their families’ financial resources than attending a public university.
SMU strives to provide the financial assistance required for an undergraduate education to any student who is offered admission and who has been determined to have need for such assistance by the Division of Enrollment Services, Financial Aid.
More than 72 percent of all students receive some form of financial aid. SMU has a generous program of merit-based scholarships and grants. Students seeking to participate in federal work-study and student and parent loan programs must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.gov.
Certain special SMU scholarship and grant programs offer awards to the following types of students:
- Entering first-year, transfer and continuing students with high academic achievement or with talent in the arts.
- National Merit finalists and certain International Baccalaureate Diploma recipients.
- Dependent children and spouses of ordained United Methodist ministers engaged in full-time, church-related vocations.
- Texas residents.
Primary consideration for merit scholarships and need-based financial aid will be given to the following:
- Entering first-year students who
- Complete the Admission Application, with all supporting materials, by January 15.
- File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafsa.gov) and the College Scholarship Service/PROFILE (student.collegeboard.org/profile) by February 15. (The FAFSA is required for federal need-based aid consideration; the FAFSA and CSS/PROFILE are required for consideration for University funded need-based aid.) The SMU Title IV school code is 003613 and the PROFILE school code is 6660.
- Complete the online SMU Application for Scholarships (access to the online application will be emailed after submission of the Admission application).
- Transfer students who
- Complete the Admission Application, with all supporting materials, by June 1.
- File the CSS/PROFILE (student.collegeboard.org/profile) and the FAFSA (www.fafsa.gov) by June 1. (The FAFSA is required for consideration for federal need-based aid; the FAFSA and CSS/PROFILE are required for consideration for University funded need-based aid).
- Continuing students who
- File the FAFSA (www.fafsa.gov) or the FAFSA Renewal and the CSS/PROFILE (student.collegeboard.org/profile) by April 15, after the parents’ and students’ income tax returns have been filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
Additional information is available from Division of Enrollment Services, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750181, Dallas TX 75275-0181; 214-768-3417; enrol_serv@smu.edu; www.smu.edu/financial_aid.
SMU Satisfactory Progress Measures for Federal, State and Institutional Financial Aid Eligibility
In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965 and federal policy, SMU maintains requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress for students receiving federal financial aid. The standards below are also used for state and institutional funds. Students who are enrolling for a fifth year of undergraduate studies and are seeking institutional financial assistance must provide a written appeal to the financial aid office and, as appropriate, must file financial aid applications (FAFSA and CSS/PROFILE) as well as obtain degree completion plans from their academic adviser.
Satisfactory academic progress is measured at the end of spring term until the student graduates. Students must meet three measures:
- Qualitative Measure: At the end of spring term, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress measured by the student’s cumulative GPA of 2.000 or better, which is the standard for graduation at SMU.
- Quantitative Measure: At the end of spring term, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress measured by determining if the student has passed 75 percent of the classes he/she attempted during the academic year.
- Program Time Limits: Students, both undergraduate and graduate, are not allowed to attempt more than 150% of the hours required to complete their degree. Students exceeding 150% are not eligible to receive federal, state or institutional aid.
A student who is not making qualitative or quantitative satisfactory academic progress toward his or her degree goal according to this policy may appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Complete details on these measures and the appeals process is available online at smu.edu/financialaid, under Types of Aid.
Veterans Certification
The University Registrar’s Office certifies veterans each term for their benefits under federal programs. More information regarding the certification process is available from the University Registrar’s Office at www.smu.edu/EnrollmentServices/Veterans and under Veterans in the Academic Records and General and Enrollment Standards section of this catalog.
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